Loosen Tight Hamstrings in 8 Minutes: 10 Beginners-Level Stretches

18 Nov Loosen Tight Hamstrings in 8 Minutes: 10 Beginners-Level Stretches

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt a sharp tinge of pain when stretching your legs. Well, not much to surprise, it’s actually a fairly common occurrence.

This kind of pain often radiates from your upper legs and is associated with a lack of flexibility in the hamstrings.

But you surely don’t have to be an athlete to feel the stiffness of tight hamstrings after eight hours of sitting at your desk.

Tight hamstrings can, in fact, limit your everyday mobility, and persisting hamstring cramps can even cause painful muscle tears.

Nevertheless, hamstring stretches can help you loosen up the tension in your muscles. 

In this article, we have discussed some of the easiest and best hamstring stretches for beginners along with a simple routine that fits into a busy schedule.

8 Minutes Hamstring Stretching Routine

Just a few minutes of stretching is believed to be enough to warm your muscles, release the tension, and ease the tight hamstrings for flexibility and better performance. 

In fact, when it comes to stretching, value consistency over quantity.

If you consistently stretch each day, even 5-10 minutes is enough to protect your muscles while enhancing mobility and flexibility.

Here’s how you can incorporate some key stretches for super tight hamstrings in an 8-minute routine. 

[10] Best Stretches For Tight Hamstrings

Hamstrings are involved in every move we make and taking care of these muscles will only boost its strength. 

NOTE: Stretching your muscles before working out is essential to keep your muscles flexible, painless, and warm. 

Here are certain at-home stretches for tight hamstrings that’ll help you avoid strain and muscle tears. 

#1. Standing Hamstring Stretch

Standing hamstring stretch is one of the best hamstrings stretches for lower back and rear thigh muscles. 

1: Stand with your feet hip apart.

2: With your toes pointing forward, place your right heel in front of your body.

3: Bend your body forward and hold your right thigh. Meanwhile, shift your weight on your left leg and bend it slightly. 

4: Hold it for 30 seconds and repeat it with the other leg.  

#2. Extended Triangle Pose

You can also try some of the poses of yoga for tight hamstrings. And this extended triangle pose is one of them. 

It’s an excellent stretch for the groin, thighs, and hamstrings.

1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. 

2: Take a deep breath and while you exhale spread your feet. 

3: Point your right toes forward and keep the back of your left foot parallel to the yoga mat.

4: Lift and stretch your arms outside at shoulder height.

5: Slightly bend your torso to the right and extend your arms further towards the ground and place it either in front of or behind your foot.

6: Slowly look up at your left hand reaching towards the ceiling.

7: Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat it with the other side. 

#3. Inchworm Stretch

It is a full-body stretch that warms your entire muscular system. 

It strengthens the shoulders and primarily focuses on increasing the flexibility of hamstrings.

1: To begin with, stand with feet hip-width apart.

2: Hinge your hips to bend forward and touch the floor with palms.

3: With your legs straight and core tight, walk forward using your palms until you reach the plank position.

4: Stay in this position for a couple of seconds and reverse the movement to walk back and stand to the start position. 

#4. Lying Hamstring Stretch With Band

This hamstring stretch is excellent for regular runners and cyclists. It helps loosen tight leg muscles.

1: Lie down on your back with a resistance band or towel wrapped around your right foot.

2: While keeping your left foot flat on the floor, gently pull your right leg up.

3: Extend until you feel the stretch in your calf and hamstrings. 

4: Hold it for 30 seconds-1 minute before you return to the starting position and repeat it with the other leg.

#5. Seated Single-Leg Hamstring Stretch (Hurdle Stretch)

If you’re suffering from extremely tight hamstrings, this hamstring stretch is absolutely perfect. 

It targets one leg at a time and is known to strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. 

1: To start with, sit with your right leg straight out and your left leg bent in a way that its sole touches your inner right thigh.

2: Keeping your spine straight, bend forward, and try to reach your right foot with both arms. Make sure your right foot is still on the ground while you bend and bend until you feel the stretch. 

3: Hold it for 30 seconds before you return to the starting position and repeat the same with the other leg.

#6. Rotating Toe Touch

The classic rotating toe-touch exercise looks simple but is great for extremely tight hamstrings.

Telling with personal experience, doing this stretch regularly actually lessens the tightness of shoulders, back, and leg muscles. 

1: Begin with standing with your feet hip-width apart.

2: Stretch your arms out to their side to shoulder height. 

3: Keep your legs and arms straight and bend to touch your right foot with your left hand. 

4: Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat it with the other leg. 

#7. Seated Hamstring Pose

This is the easiest sitting hamstring stretch that relaxes the tension in your hamstrings without any hassle. 

1: Sit with legs extended out. 

2: Keep your spine straight and bend forward with your arms in front and try to touch the toes until you feel the stretch in the back of your legs. 

3: Make sure your legs still touch the ground while you bend. Hold it for 30 seconds, return to the starting position and repeat it. 

#8. Downward Facing Dog

Instead of wondering how to loosen tight hamstrings with complex and hard-to-do exercises, try the downward-facing dog instead. 

1: Begin on all your fours with your knees hip-width apart. 

2: Place your hands directly below your shoulder. 

3: Press your heels to straighten your knees and then lift your butt up. 

4: Keep your spine, neck, and head aligned and press back into the stretch. This will stretch your calves as well. 

5: Hold for 30 seconds, return back to starting position, and do it again. 

#9. Seated Wide-Leg Hamstring Pose

This stretching pose is great for inner thighs and calves. Along with this, it works great on the lower back. 

1: Sit with your legs out wide in the opposite direction. 

2: Keep your spine long, fold forward, and try to reach the ground with both your arms. 

3: Try to crawl your hands further to increase the intensity of the stretch. Meanwhile, make sure your legs still touch the ground. 

4: After holding it for 30 seconds, return to the starting position. 

#10. Standing Toe Touch

This is probably one of the simplest stretches for tight hamstrings. 

Also, you can do it anywhere; even at your office to relax your super tight hamstrings. 

1: Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart. 

2: Keep your knees straight and bend forward from your hips. 

3: Touch your toes or ground (if possible) with both your hands. 

4: Synchronize your breathing and hold the position for 15-50 seconds. 

5: Stand back at the starting position and repeat it again. 

These stretches will help you loosen tight hamstrings the right way. Doing these will release all the tension from the muscles and help them relax and recover. 

Moreover, one must remember that performing the stretches correctly is equally important. 

With that being said, here are some of the tips to remember before you start stretching. 

Tips For Stretching Hamstrings

Even when you stretch every day, overlooking certain precautions or doing it the wrong way might lead to persistent tightness in the hamstring, muscle pull, and other injuries, rendering the stretching routine ineffective.

So, here are certain tips to keep in mind while doing stretches for tight hamstrings.

• The best time to stretch is before and after exercising.
• Keep your warm-up short and save energy for a workout.
• Don’t put abnormal pressure on your muscles in order to extend the stretch. 
• Do normal jogging or walking before stretching your muscles. It’s important to move your muscles before stretching to avoid muscle strain and tears. 
• Hamstring stretches are beneficial for both athletes as well as non-athletes. However, the intensity and extent of the stretch may vary. 

Stretching, particularly different techniques for hamstring stretching, is important to increase flexibility and range of movement.

In case you still have any queries related to how to fix tight hamstrings and do hamstring stretches, here are some of the most frequently asked questions that will help get all your answers.

Q&As

#1. What are the symptoms of a tight hamstring?

Tight hamstrings symptoms include:

• Severe pain in the thighs and back muscles.
• Pain while stretching the leg. 
• Severe pain in buttocks while walking.
• Stiff muscles and limited mobility.

#2. What Causes tight hamstring?

Some of the common causes of tight hamstrings are:

• Intense exercises
• Putting unwanted pressure on the muscles
• Dehydration
• Immobility or sitting for a long time
• Doing exercise after a long interval
• Playing sports
• Manifest as a sign of weakness 

#3. How long does it take to loosen the hamstring?

20 minutes of hamstring stretching two to three times a week will help you feel changes in your tight hamstrings. 

#4. Can dehydration cause tight hamstrings?

Yes, not drinking enough water after exercising contracts the muscles and creates hamstring cramps. 

#5. How should I sleep with tight hamstrings?

If you have super tight hamstrings, avoid sleeping with folded knees. Instead, put pillows under your knees, keep your spine neutral, and sleep on your back. 

#6. How can I loosen my hamstrings without stretching?

If you don’t like stretching, try to keep yourself hydrated to avoid muscle cramps. You can also try massaging your hamstring muscles with lukewarm oil or can take a nice warm bath to help your muscle relax. However, if nothing works, consult a health professional. 

#7. Is it ok to stretch hamstrings every day?

Stretching your hamstrings every day is not a good idea. You might overdo it. 3 to 4 times a week is best.

So, this was how you can fix tight hamstrings. 

Apart from medical conditions, no matter what the reason is behind your painful and tight muscles, these stretches for tight hamstrings will help you feel better when done properly. 

Final Words

Looking after your hamstring muscles is vital if you want consistency in your workout and want your fitness regime to be effective. 

That is to say, sore or tight hamstring muscles will limit your mobility and you won’t be able to give your best at the gym. Not only this, tight hamstrings are painful as well. 

Luckily, you can take care of it by performing the above-mentioned stretches for tight hamstrings every day at home. However, ensure you do them in the right form and posture to avoid injury.

All you need to do is maintain consistency.

Try these stretches for tight hamstrings and do let me know how it goes for you. Leave your comments right below. 

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Loosen Stiff Lower Back Muscles: 10 Stretches for Instant Relief